River Community & Communications Coordinator

We re seeking a community-builder to grow our water-testing and river stewardship community across the River Wey catchment and beyond and lead communications for the region and the wider Water Rangers community.

This hosted role at Zero Carbon Guildford (ZCG) supports the River Wey catchment community co-created by Water Rangers, River Wey Trust, and ZCG.

Project overview and objectives

Since 2021, Water Rangers, River Wey Trust and ZERO Carbon Guildford have built a thriving community-led programme across the River Wey catchment. We re now looking for a special person to better support our volunteer-run river stewardship, to deepen community engagement and coordinate actions that support healthier rivers and their ecosystems.

About the role

• Contract: 12-month fixed term, potential to extend

• Hours: 4 5 days/week (0.8 1.0 FTE); includes planned evening/weekend work for events/training. Willing to consider 3 days/week for the right candidate.

• Salary: £31,553 FTE (can be pro-rated)

• Location: ZERO, Riverside Business Centre, Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, GU1 4UG (some WFH possible). Travel across the entire River Wey catchment (e.g. Guildford, Liphook, Godalming, Alton, Woking and Weybridge).

• Reporting: Employed by Zero Carbon Guildford, Supervised by Water Rangers with support from River Wey Trust

• Start date: As soon as possible

Role purpose and responsibilities

This is a new role, created with the aim of strengthening and growing the successful river stewardship and water testing in the River Wey catchment.

Responsibilities:

Lead community building & volunteer enablement

• Recruit, onboard and train volunteers; supervise interns and support educators/community leaders.

• Deliver and support the delivery of volunteer-run education sessions, Community Lab activities, community pop-ups, and monthly monitoring.

• Create resources, project work plans and training assets; run training workshops; shadow/coach volunteers; manage rotas and recognition.
  

Lead communications

• Plan and deliver communications for river stewardship activities, water monitoring tools, and community events across social, web, newsletters, and press.

• Write compelling copy and create on-brand graphics, videos, posters, and slide decks.

• Tell impactful stories from the Wey and share across River Wey Trust, Water Rangers and ZCG channels.

Partnerships & recognition

• Act as a key contact across the Wey Landscape Partnership and align activities with shared priorities.
  Build relationships with local businesses and organisations; develop outreach decks and simple sponsorship materials.

• Provide stewardship and basic impact reporting to sponsors.

Fundraising & reporting

• Support and lead fundraising efforts (grants, sponsorship, donor engagement).
  Develop and improve sponsorship packages (Adopt-a-Testing-Site, kit/event sponsorship, employer volunteering).

• Track metrics (volunteers trained, sessions delivered, audiences reached, data logged, funds raised) and produce partner/funder updates.

Person Specification

We re looking for someone with a combination of strengths in communications and community building and a willingness to learn. You should be self-motivated, organised, people-centred, and partnership-minded. Having a passion for the environmental and rivers is integral, but you don't need to be a water/river expert. You ll need access to a vehicle for those events that can t be reached on public transport (mileage will be reimbursed).

Essential skills & experience

• Communications: ability to write compelling copy and produce simple, on-brand visual materials.

• Community building: experience enabling volunteers, educators, or community groups.

• Training/facilitation: confident delivering workshops, onboarding sessions, or group activities.

• Programme coordination: experience delivering community, charity, education, or engagement projects.

• Organisational skills: able to plan, prioritise and manage multiple strands of work independently.

• Relationship building: comfortawble working with partners, local groups, or businesses.

Desirable skills & experience

• Previous experience in the charity sector.

• Fundraising or sponsorship experience (grant writing, donor engagement, or reporting).

• Experience managing budgets, project resources, and impact reporting.

• Experience in community science, citizen science, water science, biodiversity or environmental engagement.

• Digital/content skills: Canva/Adobe, Google Workspace, WordPress, Mailchimp, basic video editing.

• Experience running social media campaigns.

• Understanding of safeguarding/DBS considerations.

What success looks like (first 6 12 months)

• Growing reach and local visibility with strong, place-based stories.

• Monthly monitoring and regular schools/community engagements where volunteers can take help take the lead.

• £10k secured via grants and/or sponsorship (e.g. testing sites sponsored or grant secured, with support of supporting organisation mentorship).

Benefits

• Travel expenses for work beyond your normal place of work.

• Expenses for work-related communications.

• Pension contribution.

• Annual leave: 25 days plus bank holidays (pro rata for part-time employees).

Inclusive Recruitment Statement

At Zero Carbon Guildford we believe diversity makes us stronger. We re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and be their authentic self. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities, including (but not limited to) race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and socioeconomic status.

Research shows that some candidates may self-select out of applying if they don t meet 100% of the listed criteria. If you re excited about this role but your experience doesn t align perfectly with every requirement, we still encourage you to apply you may be the right person for the job.

Privacy

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. Any information you provide during the recruitment process will be handled securely, used only for recruitment purposes, and never shared without your consent. For full details, please see our Privacy Policy.

How to apply

Please include a cover letter with your CV.

Interviews: week commencing 12th January 2026 (evening/weekend slots may be offered).